Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Killing the brand with poor service

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Have had way better service on my wife's Toyota Prius. I think I'm done.

Completely agree. But this was something I was aware of and decided to take the risk before purchasing one Tesla last Dec as well as a second Tesla last month. Customer service was something I choose to trade off for the the other perks Tesla offers that you really can't get anywhere else at the moment. Hopefully the German's will get it together when I go to sell these two Tesla's just before the warranties expire at four years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BlindPass
That’s pretty funny. I reduced my tire pressure to 42 as I like the feel better, but the service center always increases it to 45. And my cars has been in service six times since October. So I’ve done this almost monthly.

My shudder went away after new axles. Not bunny fussiness.

They replaced both front half-shafts December 2019 but shudder returned in March 2020, despite my avg Wh/m dropping by almost 20. I dont think they used the latest part revision at the time. Had an appt in March but had cancelled it when Stay at Home orders went into effect.
 
Last edited:
They replaced both front half-shafts December 2019 but shudder returned in March 2020. I dont think they used the latest part revision at the time. Had an appt in March but had cancelled it when Stay at Home orders went into effect.

What exactly is the shuttering that seems to be so common. Forum descriptions are fairly non-specific and web videos are non-existent or equally as vague.
 
Seems Tesla's service continues its downward spiral since your post. My Model X MCU failed, rendering car pretty much un-drivable. I have just had 4 weeks of being put on hold for 30 min at a time, having appointments cancelled, calls not returned, no loaner vehicle made available. Ultimately had to pay $800 for a rental car which Tesla refused to cover / discuss / assist. Paid my expensive lease for July for a car I could not drive and was unable to service. Have had way better service on my wife's Toyota Prius. I think I'm done.
That’s awful.

We had something similar. As much as I love the acceleration, and what Tesla has done (and will to) to disrupt multiple industries, we’re not sold on continuing with Tesla. We miss the ease of service and high quality cabin tech and features of legacy brands. Is quality blindspot really too much to ask? HUD? Cooled seats? And so on.

Remember, the whole EVs need less maintenance narrative first pushed by us EV fans works for legacy brands too- and they have a parts and service infrastructure. I’m sure they’d try to up-sell me needless service, but I’d rather say no to that than deal with Tesla Corporate.
 
What exactly is the shuttering that seems to be so common. Forum descriptions are fairly non-specific and web videos are non-existent or equally as vague.

I would call it vibration on hard acceleration. Worse when the suspension is anything but low.

Problem is that if you complain about a vibration, Tesla now says it’s not covered under warranty.

Catch-22.

There is a service bulletin out that describes the problem, and the service centers know.

you are left to describe the problem without triggering their “get out of jail free card” by saying “noise” or “vibration”.
 
I would call it vibration on hard acceleration. Worse when the suspension is anything but low.

Problem is that if you complain about a vibration, Tesla now says it’s not covered under warranty.

Catch-22.

There is a service bulletin out that describes the problem, and the service centers know.

you are left to describe the problem without triggering their “get out of jail free card” by saying “noise” or “vibration”.

Does anyone have any really specific details? I mean does the whole car just shake like it's falling apart and people are scared for their lives? I see this come up "fairy" often enough, but not "common" though. So is it something that's not up to spec of specific VIN's are a design failure across batches? I hear this with Model S and Model Y people but can't recall Model 3 or X people saying it, though I'm sure I've just missed it.
 
The most valuable car company in the world with the worst customer service experience. What’s wrong with this picture? Elon should know about this and should start working on improving the service experience. Maybe people should keep tweeting him about this (I don’t have Twitter). I’ve had a similarly bad experience with service most of the time but especially after they stopped taking calls and answering emails. I am willing to email or text back forth if I get a timely human response.

I have talked to customer service employees and they said they are understaffed and overworked. They don’t have time to answer emails or texts. They don’t have a direct line to Tesla’s management, they just have to send email to management for issues. Not sure how true is that but that’s what they said.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PhilDavid
Does anyone have any really specific details? I mean does the whole car just shake like it's falling apart and people are scared for their lives? I see this come up "fairy" often enough, but not "common" though. So is it something that's not up to spec of specific VIN's are a design failure across batches? I hear this with Model S and Model Y people but can't recall Model 3 or X people saying it, though I'm sure I've just missed it.

no fearing for life. Not that bad. Just some shake on acceleration like the half shafts are out of balance or the halfshafts bearings are worn out. Definitely not pleasing...
 
This is an old thread but here goes:

My Model S has been in the shop for a month and I’m unhappy mostly because I miss driving the most fun car I have ever driven. Not so much because the Tesla shop chooses to communicate with cryptic messages via email and Tesla App, not so much because this malfunction happened the night before I was to leave on a vacation road trip having already taken time off from work but certainly because the performance by service seems quite incompetent. They have been ordering variations of the same part for weeks. What parts of the passenger seat assembly have to do with the problem I don’t know. But then again, what do I know about automobile electronics.

You see what happened is that as I was leaving work one night my car would not drive. It did come on and displayed multiple error messages on the dash. It would not accept a reboot sequence and did not accept a shutdown command either. Tried this multiple times with roadside assistance on the phone. They finally decided to tow it. That first night the car stayed on with the headlights illuminating the parking lot at the shop as it could not be shut off. To this day I do not know what the problem was in the first place.

Tesla needs to improve this and many other aspects of its service and communication thereof. This winter I waited three months without solar or Powerwall backup before Tesla Power service could come out to make a diagnosis. I’m further aggrieved by lack of a Model S loaner.

I’m a believer is Tesla’s mission and I drunk the Elon Kool-Aid a longtime ago. I also believe public airing of dissatisfaction has its place from time to time. The upcoming MB EQS looks really good and is likely to perform very well given MB’s prior capabilities. However, my disdain for the dealer model cannot be overcome by Tesla’s inadequacies at this time and so I’m likely to pick up another Model S later this year. So, to the Tesla fanboys (and I’m probably one) please hold your tongue on this one.
 
Personally the only experiences I've had with service has been mobile service (I think) three times. All went extremally professionally and almost absurdly quickly. In one case they said it was going to be a week or two (I forget) but the next they called to say they had someone in the area who had some free time and would I like them to come by.

All that said I do fear having to go in for actual service and I do fear parts availability issues. I've personally known many people in similar situations to yourself. This is one of the reasons I've stayed with (my local) Audi dealer for so long, even when I wanted a Tesla. Audi has always provided exceptional service for me, and even when the part didn't exist in the US they got it from Germany in two days. I've always had a loaner at least as good as my own car. And If I ever felt like I wasn't going what I wanted from my dealer I could always get Audi NJ corp services on the phones to intervein.

Others have good experiences with Tesla service, as I'm sure others have bad experiences with Audi service.

I think Tesla has a long way to go, in a number of areas, not just service, but customer service, build quality / consistency. But I don't think it's a priority for him. It also might be too much money and complexity right now while they still try and expand the company; even though they go hand in hand.
 
The upcoming MB EQS looks really good and is likely to perform very well given MB’s prior capabilities. However, my disdain for the dealer model cannot be overcome by Tesla’s inadequacies at this time and so I’m likely to pick up another Model S later this year. So, to the Tesla fanboys (and I’m probably one) please hold your tongue on this one.
Sorry for your issues. I agree in principle that the dealer model is horrific and they just add cost, overhead, headache, inconsistency, and complexity to the whole car ownership experience. However, there are certain dealers that continually have stellar service, and MB is one of those. Who cares who services the vehicle in the end if the service is top notch. I wish dealerships would go away and all manufacturers would sell direct, but this might be one case where you have to be careful what you ask for. Tesla’s cars are superior enough for me to put up with their service now (and to be honest, I’ve never had a problem but I’ve only used their phenomenal mobile service and never visited a service center), but that advantage will wane over the years. I really hope Tesla does something to improve this service perception soon.
 
I don't have examples to quote here but with a lot of the major players adding more EV or switching 100% to EV I keep hearing that they are only going to sell the cars on the web, ala Tesla. Now what I haven't heard is how this is going to play with their dealers? Is the factory buying them out and owning the service end? Will they give them part of the sale based on registration? How will those large lot dealers get buy when they won't need the lot to stock cars? Obviously a lot of questions but it seems at least some players are switch to, or to something somewhat similar to Tesla's model. See how this plays out over the nect 5, 10, 20 years.
 
I wish that Tesla could write their manuals to accurately describe the behavior of their cars. It is surprising how their manual writers don't communicate with their software developers. Is this a Silicon Valley thing?
Behavior potentially changes every update, so writers could not keep up, but most importantly customers don't want to read new a manual every few weeks. Welcome to driving a Tesla - it's like any other software, changes continuously and you are supposed to discover the changes yourself. It kind of is a silicon valley thing.
 
Yeah. This is the trade of with Tesla where you potentially get new improvements with a weekly update. Compared to my Audis and Mercedes where you have to beg and pay, and still not get a software update unless something is broken and you are in warranty, or buy a new car.
 
This is an old thread but here goes:

My Model S has been in the shop for a month and I’m unhappy mostly because I miss driving the most fun car I have ever driven. Not so much because the Tesla shop chooses to communicate with cryptic messages via email and Tesla App, not so much because this malfunction happened the night before I was to leave on a vacation road trip having already taken time off from work but certainly because the performance by service seems quite incompetent. They have been ordering variations of the same part for weeks. What parts of the passenger seat assembly have to do with the problem I don’t know. But then again, what do I know about automobile electronics.

You see what happened is that as I was leaving work one night my car would not drive. It did come on and displayed multiple error messages on the dash. It would not accept a reboot sequence and did not accept a shutdown command either. Tried this multiple times with roadside assistance on the phone. They finally decided to tow it. That first night the car stayed on with the headlights illuminating the parking lot at the shop as it could not be shut off. To this day I do not know what the problem was in the first place.

Tesla needs to improve this and many other aspects of its service and communication thereof. This winter I waited three months without solar or Powerwall backup before Tesla Power service could come out to make a diagnosis. I’m further aggrieved by lack of a Model S loaner.

I’m a believer is Tesla’s mission and I drunk the Elon Kool-Aid a longtime ago. I also believe public airing of dissatisfaction has its place from time to time. The upcoming MB EQS looks really good and is likely to perform very well given MB’s prior capabilities. However, my disdain for the dealer model cannot be overcome by Tesla’s inadequacies at this time and so I’m likely to pick up another Model S later this year. So, to the Tesla fanboys (and I’m probably one) please hold your tongue on this one.
Driving a Tesla is driving bleeding edge experimental vehicles. You get tech 2-4 years earlier (used to be longer) in exchange for driving a test car, and taking on all the risks associated with bleeding edge technologies being tested. That said, Tesla used to have an amazing service taking care of their Beta fleet of Model S and then Model X. Once Model 3 came out, unfortunately the service model didn't scale - producing test cars at those volumes is not sustainable - even Elon cannot afford that high of a cost (notice Tesla kept on losing money when only Model S and X were being produced).

As for the dealer model, I was so happy to see Tesla do the direct sale and service, until I had to use it. Unless Tesla is willing to commit to Apple level of customer service, I am now all for service competition via independent dealer network. Tesla is like a dealer with monopoly on parts and service, so worse, because their monopoly allows them to abuse their customers. You cannot turn to anyone else for parts of service (if you try they cripple your vehicle remotely). And if what you want will cost them money, they will just ghost you - no live person to talk to, if you finally manage to reach one they tell you to email to some black hole from which you never get a reply.

After 8 years and 4 Model S's, I went from telling anyone who would listen they should get a Tesla if they can afford one, to warning people about the ownership experience, and telling them to look at other EV's. Lucky there are a whole bunch of them coming soon.

PS> I was never a big MB fan, but the EQS might just convert me. The only thing I didn't like about it was the top acceleration of 0-60 in 4s+. I know, Tesla spoiled me on that, so might have to go with the eTron GT RS or Taycan Turismo to not feel like I downgraded.
 
Yeah. This is the trade of with Tesla where you potentially get new improvements with a weekly update. Compared to my Audis and Mercedes where you have to beg and pay, and still not get a software update unless something is broken and you are in warranty, or buy a new car.
I got over wanting new features and new bugs every release. A couple of updates actually cause very dangerous situations, and one caused actual damage (Tesla decided to start force unfolding side mirrors at any speed above 0mph, so after a year of driving her car, my wife took parked it in a tight spot she parked in the past, when pulling out, she did what she normally did, fold the mirrors before backing out so they clear a concrete beam, well Tesla software decided to unfold the mirrors straight into the beam - $600, not covered by Tesla, apparently my wife was supposed to go online (not from the car since the browser there was broken) and read the release notes :rolleyes:). I also hate what happened to the UI, buttons moved from top to the very bottom of the S screen, became monochorome, tiny, and much slower than when I got the car. So now I have to look far away from the road to do things with multiple touches, which I could do originally with one touch on top of the screen. So just like the dealer model I used to dislike, after driving an ever changing car, I want back to the old model, where the car does everything I paid for when I get the keys, and keeps doing it the same way until I sell it (rather than the car gaining features over the ownership period, never actually reaching the hype features I paid for, but getting *sugar* I don't care for like fart modes instead, so much more satisfying to have the car fart than drive itself, isn't it?). Driving a few year old Tesla is like using an old iPhone, updates still come, but it's slow, a lot of new features no longer work, old features are gone, and battery gets limited by software.
 
I mostly do updates in hopes that bugs get fixed. I am all in for a single stable software at time of purchase.
Maybe because I am AP1 and it was better years ago.
I do like the features I have gotten over the years but it is like 1 new interesting thing per year. I would trade that for no bugs and no downgrading in a heart beat.
From memory
- AP getting turned on and improving
- GPS enabled homelink (and air suspension - which I don't have)
- The ability to keep unlocked at home
- The personal key to user for seats etc (doesn't help me at all)
- Spotify (interface sucks);
- more voice commands (sucks with MCU1 - never use; don't really use with MCU2 either)
- Cute fart noises. Great for my kid - he doesn't drive the car - but worth 10 min of entertainment 1 time.

What got lost
- supercharging speed
- increased nag with AP
- better screen layout

Yep - I would have stopped in 2016 if that was an option in retrospect.
 
After 8 years and 4 Model S's, I went from telling anyone who would listen they should get a Tesla if they can afford one, to warning people about the ownership experience, and telling them to look at other EV's. Lucky there are a whole bunch of them coming soon.
This fits my current state-of-mind as it applies to Tesla as well. I don't have 8 years but a few more Model S's to help offset that shorter timespan but the opinion is exactly the same.

At first, I couldn't wait to offer strangers rides and sell them on our lord and savior Elon Musk and the Book of Tesla. Now, it's all I can do when people bring it up to muster the mental strength to tell them not only how good the cars are (which is the easy part) but also temper that with how bad the service is. The latter gets old as I'm not a negative person by nature but have to summon a special vitriol to even approach capturing the hell I've been through in words.

It's just sad that they didn't scale their customer service resources with their model sold. They rushed to get to a profitable quarter and it showed in the customer service department, sadly.

All I can say is thank god the real players in the game have been jolted awake by Tesla's success in this segment. Now maybe we can get some decent cars from people who actually have a customer service budget worthy of a sustained existence.
 
  • Like
Reactions: InternetDude